Join Dr. Brad Lepper, Senior Archaeologist at the Ohio History Connection, to learn about the long history of humans and climate change in Ohio.
Humans first entered the Ohio Valley sometime after 20,000 years ago. These hardy American Indian pioneers adapted to the New World they found and, over the succeeding millennia, shaped many aspects of their environment. Through forest clearing along with selective weeding and planting they favored some species of plants and animals and possibly drove others to extinction. Europeans arrived in the 18th and 19th centuries and rapidly accelerated those processes of environmental change. With the Industrial Revolution and the intensive burning of fossil fuels, including Ohio’s rich coal deposits, humans began to be active agents in changing the very climate of the Earth in ways that could prove to be disastrous for many species, including our own. Can humans and the civilizations we have created find ways to adapt to these profound changes or possibly even undo the damage we have caused?
Learn more about Dr. Brad Lepper here: https://www.ohiohumanities.org/speaker/bradley-lepper/
Our Lane Road Branch provides access to the UAPL’s entire collection, as well as Internet and Wi-Fi. We also offer exciting youth and adult programs, book discussions, a large meeting room, and a Youth Department. Learn more about our services.